Improvement in bottle-stopper fastenings



UNITED STATES PATENT- OFFICE.

IMPROVEMENT IN BOTTLE-SITOPPER FASTENINGS.

To a/ZZ whom it may conce-rn,.-V

Beit known that I, THEorHILUs A. Asier- BURNER, of the city and" county of Philadelphia, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements n the Manner or' Securing Corks in Bottles; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, ret'- erence being had to the accompanying draw! ings, making a part thereof, in which- Figure 1 represents aview of abottle corked and secured after my plan. Fig. 2 represents one of the' buttons provided with a strip of tin to prevent it from flying with the cork when the bottle is to be opened, and Fig. 3 represents a similar button without the tin strip, which leaves the bottle when the cork is out.

Similar letters in the gures 'denote like land use my invention, I will proceed to describe the same with reference to the drawings.

a is a round button of about the size of the cork in the bottle, and made, for convenience, of wood, thoughv it may be made of metal, if found essential.

' b b are two stirrups, made of wire, bent up somewhat in-the form of a buckle-frame, and the two ends of wire thus bent up are sprung apart and inserted one on each side or edge of the button,near its center, in suitable holes therein, so that the spring of the stirrup itself Vholds it to the button, but may swing thereon.

It will be perceived that a button thus provided with the stirrups, as in Fig. 1, has no tendency to leave the bottle, while, if desired ,p Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 12,501, dated March 13,1855.

to open the bottle, it is readily removed by slipping one oi' the stirrups out from under the projection. Any'inward pressure against thev cork forces it against the button; but as the stirrups pass from ai central position in the button to the sides of the neck of the bottle, the tendency is to draw the stirrups closer up to the projection, or, in other words, to hold the harder. 4

c is a strip of tin or other metal hinged by a dead-eye to one of the stirrups, this being for the double purpose of making the button a fixture on the bottle-viz, to prevent it from being lost or wasted-and so that the cork may be allowed to iiy while the button remains at tached to the bottle. It is "only necessary to slip one of the stirrups from the projection on `the bottle to remove it from the cork, and

either of the plans, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, may be adopted.

I am aware that many devices have been essayed for securing corks in bottles, but all of them involve expense. intricacy, or difficulties in placing or removing them from the bottle, and I do not claim any such contrivances, meaning to limit myself to what I have described and represented, relying mainly upon the hinging of thestirrups to the button,which greatlyl facilitates the placing or removing of the button from the cork and securing the stirrups on one side to the neck of the bottle.

Having thus fully described the nature of my invention, what I claim therein as new, and desirefto secureby Letters Patent, is

The device herein described for securing corks in bottles, viz., a button provided with hinged stirrups for catching under the projection of the bottle, for the purpose of more readily placing it on or removing it from the cork, and this whether saidV device is a fixture on the bottle or separate therefrom, ,as described. v

THEOPHILUS A. ASHBURNER. 

